Ask most people why they join an association, especially a professional association, and they will tell you that someone recommended it. An employer, a colleague, a friend. Usually, someone they trust. A year later, when it’s renewal time, it’s often quite a different...

So often in associations, there is a gap between the association’s value offering and what members’ believe this value to be. The best way to bridge this gap is with a clearly thought out communication strategy that includes regular highlights and case...

There are three key drivers of member loyalty. You need to have a great product or service, you need to demonstrate value, and you need to provide a superior member experience. Do all three well and you will have loyal members who happily renew year after year, and...

There comes a time when every business will receive a bad review. Like it or not, it comes with the territory. Unfortunately, it’s very easy for unhappy clients to leave a bad review online – either on Google, Facebook, a review site or by creating a video that goes...

Did you know there are nine separate ways you can communicate with your members? Most associations use the obvious – email, face-to-face and mail. A few more use phone, social media and video. Very few use audio, sending gifts and chatbots. People do business...

I was in Melbourne over the weekend to facilitate a workshop with an association Board, to help them better understand how to communicate and engage with their members, and the role social media could play. My brief included helping them identify how they can...

One of the most common questions I am asked is, “Which social media channels should I use?” The simple answer is the ones where your members and potential members hang out. The tricky part is often working this out! But it doesn’t have to be hard. There are...

Social media, when used properly, is an excellent way to engage with your members. Facebook specialist Mari Smith said it best: “Content is king but engagement is queen, and the lady rules the house.” If you’re wanting to understand how to use social media to...

I’m often asked by associations how can social media help me achieve my membership goals? The way we communicate has changed a lot over the last 10 years. Your members use social media, and increasingly, they want to be able to engage with you via Facebook,...

There are many skills you need to be a successful social media manager. One of those is knowing how to think strategically. Early in my career it used to really frustrate me when I heard the phrase “you need to think more strategically”, but the people telling me this...